Light emitting diodes and laser diodes are well known solid state electronic devices capable of generating light upon application of a sufficient voltage. Light emitting diodes and laser diodes may be generally referred to as light emitting devices (“LEDs”). Light emitting devices generally include a p-n junction formed in an epitaxial layer grown on a substrate such as sapphire, silicon, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide and the like. The wavelength distribution of the light generated by the LED generally depends on the material from which the p-n junction is fabricated and the structure of the thin epitaxial layers that make up the active region of the device.
Typically, an LED chip includes a substrate, an n-type epitaxial region formed on the substrate and a p-type epitaxial region formed on the n-type epitaxial region (or vice-versa). In order to facilitate the application of a voltage to the device, an anode ohmic contact is formed on a p-type region of the device (typically, an exposed p-type epitaxial layer) and a cathode ohmic contact is formed on an n-type region of the device (such as the substrate or an exposed n-type epitaxial layer).
In order to use an LED chip in a circuit, it is known to enclose an LED chip in a package to provide environmental and/or mechanical protection, color selection, focusing and the like. An LED package also includes electrical leads, contacts or traces for electrically connecting the LED package to an external circuit. In a typical LED package 10 illustrated in FIG. 1A, an LED chip 12 is mounted on a reflective cup 13 by means of a solder bond or conductive epoxy. One or more wirebonds 11 connect the ohmic contacts of the LED chip 12 to leads 15A and/or 15B, which may be attached to or integral with the reflective cup 13. The reflective cup may be filled with an encapsulant material 16 containing a wavelength conversion material such as a phosphor. Light emitted by the LED at a first wavelength may be absorbed by the phosphor, which may responsively emit light at a second wavelength. The entire assembly is then encapsulated in a clear protective resin 14, which may be molded in the shape of a lens to collimate the light emitted from the LED chip 12. While the reflective cup 13 may direct light in an upward direction, optical losses may occur when the light is reflected (i.e. some light may be absorbed by the reflector cup instead of being reflected). In addition, heat retention may be an issue for a package such as the package 10 shown in FIG. 1A, since it may be difficult to extract heat through the leads 15A, 15B.
A conventional LED package 20 illustrated in FIG. 1B may be more suited for high power operations which may generate more heat. In the LED package 20, one or more LED chips 22 are mounted onto a carrier such as a printed circuit board (PCB) carrier 23. A metal reflector 24 mounted on the carrier 23 surrounds the LED chip(s) 22 and reflects light emitted by the LED chips 22 away from the package 20. The reflector 24 also provides mechanical protection to the LED chips 22. One or more wirebond connections 11 are made between ohmic contacts on the LED chips 22 and electrical traces 25A, 25B on the carrier 23. The mounted LED chips 22 are then covered with an encapsulant 26, which may provide environmental and mechanical protection to the chips while also acting as a lens. The metal reflector 24 is typically attached to the carrier by means of a solder or epoxy bond.
While a package such as the package 20 illustrated in FIG. 1B may have certain advantages for high power operation, there may be a number of potential problems associated with using a separate metal piece as a metal reflector. For example, small metal parts may be difficult to manufacture repeatably with a high degree of precision at a reasonable expense. In addition, since the reflector is typically affixed to a carrier using an adhesive, several manufacturing steps may be required to carefully align and mount the reflector, which may add to the expense and complexity of the manufacturing process for such packages.